


my way is clear

by Teddydora



Series: caledonia [4]
Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Gen, me and my feelings at 10pm wrote this garbage, proofreading? who dat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27033073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teddydora/pseuds/Teddydora
Summary: “Thalia and Magnus wouldn’t have wanted you to-” Luke cut Percy off angrily. What did he know of Thalia or Magnus. The only person who might have the right, the authority to challenge him on what they wanted was Annabeth. But if anyone was brainwashed - it was her.Luke reveals himself as the Lightning Thief.
Series: caledonia [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953517
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	my way is clear

Luke spat at the ground before picking up his new sword to slice the dummies into pieces. If his estimations of Percy’s behaviour were correct, the boy would be coming by any second now. 

Backbiter tore into the straw like a warm knife to butter. But far more deadly and ferocious. A cough sounded behind him. Bingo. 

Percy Jackson stood there in all his five foot two glory, with a note of healthy fear in his eyes, noted Luke, pleased. He plastered on a fake smile, “Percy.” 

“Um sorry,” he said, obviously embarrassed, “I just-”

“It’s okay,” Luke said, lowering his sword, “Just getting some last minute practice in.”

“Those dummies won’t be bothering anybody any more.”

Luke shrugged, “We build new ones every summer.” Luke spotted Percy looking curiously at his sword, “Oh, this? New toy. This is Backbiter.” He was actually quite proud of his new sword. A symbol of his loyalty to Kronos, of his disloyalty to his gods, to his father. He turned it around, showing off its  _ unusual _ elements. “One side is celestial bronze. The other is tempered steel. Works on mortals and immortals both.” 

Percy looked alarmed at this and shocked at his casualness of threatening mortals but all Luke could see was Thalia telling him about her mother, drunk and high because of how Zeus treated her. All he could see was his own mother, once perfectly normal, driven insane by the spirit of Delphi, by Hades, Apollo,  _ Hermes _ , the three of them, all guilty in their own way. 

“I didn’t know they made weapons like that.”

“ _ They _ probably can’t,” Luke agreed, “It’s one of a kind.” He deliberately smiled slightly at Percy, to relax him, not put him on his guard, putting away his sword for good measure, “Listen, I was going to come looking for you. What do you say we go down to the woods one last time, look for something to fight.”

Percy hesitated before saying, “You think it’s a good idea. I mean-”

“Aw, come on.” Luke drew the final piece of bait, the perfect bribe for any demigod, especially one as hyperactive as Percy, a six pack of Cokes, “Drinks are on me.”

Percy stared at the cans in awe. Luke internally smirked in satisfaction. It had clearly been worth the danger of being eaten by harpies and then that group of wild cyclopes to get them from the tiny corner shop in the nearby suburb. 

“Sure, why not.” There, the trap was set. Now all he needed was to flip the final switches and his master would have his revenge, he would have his revenge, he would avenge  _ them _ . 

They walked together into the woods. They were empty but Luke already knew that. He hadn't spent the last three days trying (and failing for the most part) to wash monster dust out of his hair for nothing. Thankfully, the Aphrodite cabin had just discovered body glitter so he wasn’t the only camper to sparkle in the sunlight. 

They settled next to the creek where Percy was claimed. Luke had always, despite his hatred of Apollo, enjoyed poetic irony.

“You ever miss being on a quest?” Luke finally broke the silence.

“What with monsters attacking me every metre? Are you kidding?” Luke raised his eyebrow.

“Yeah I miss it. You?” 

Luke scowled, feeling as old as Halcyon Green, like he had taken the years that Magnus and Thalia had missed and would miss and added them to his life, as old as an immortal, a titan. “I’ve lived at Camp Half-Blood year-round since I was fourteen. Ever since Magnus and Thalia… well, you know. I trained, and trained, and trained. I never got to be a normal teenager, out in the real world. Then they threw me one quest and when I came back, it was like ‘Okay, ride’s over, have a nice life.’”

Luke crushed his can and tossed it into the creek along with all his regrets and reservations. He could do this. It was time to move on and rise up. 

“The fuck with laurel wreaths,” Luke said, “I’m not going to end up with one of those dusty trophies in the Big House attic.”

Percy had finally caught on, “You make it sound like you’re leaving.” Prepared to show his true colours, Luke gave a twisted smile to his soon-to-be-former protégé. 

“Oh I’m leaving all right, Percy. I brought you down here to say goodbye.” He snapped his fingers and the pre-prepared pit scorpion, all the way from Tartarus, popped up, poised to attack. Percy reached for his sword. 

“I wouldn’t,” Luke cautioned, “Pit scorpions can jump up to five metres. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You’ll be dead in sixty seconds.”

“Luke, what-” realisation finally,  _ finally _ , washed over the twelve-year-old’s face. “You.” he stated, his voice hard, biting. Luke could finally see the half-blood who challenged Ares and bartered with Hades. It was such a shame that that skill was wasted on a boy who would die too young, such a shame he was loyal to Olympus,  _ to his father. _ Back in the good old days, when it was the four of them, they would rant about their parents. It was only Magnus who had a good relationship with his mortal parent and if Luke was right, that wouldn’t have lasted long. He was too young, for the monsters to come, for his mother to come to hate him or be driven mad,  _ to die. _

Everyday, Luke thought about what he could’ve done that would’ve stopped the kid from dying. He was the youngest and the bravest of them all. He was the oldest but he was such a coward. He stood there, weakened sure, but he could’ve helped, could’ve stopped at least one of them from dying. Every time he saw Annabeth, he saw Magnus with her, holding her hand, being pulled along. They had almost looked like twins when he met them and if Magnus said that he definitely had a vacant father, not mother, he would swear he was another child of Athena. It wasn’t fair that Magnus died and he lived. It wasn’t fair that Percy, a demigod of the Big Three lived when Thalia died. It wasn’t fair that Magnus, like over half of the members of the Hermes cabin, was unclaimed and would be forever, dying unacknowledged by the very being that brought about their lives. 

Luke stood calmly and brushed off his jeans, “I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy. Didn’t you feel it - the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn’t you realise how useless it is? All the heroics - being pawns of the gods. They should’ve been overthrown thousands of years ago but they’ve hung on thanks to us half-bloods.”

“Luke... you’re talking about our parents.” He was clearly shocked by Luke’s treason, his treachery. 

He laughed. “That’s supposed to make me love them? Their precious “Western civilisation” is a disease, Percy. It’s killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest.”

“You’re as crazy as Ares.” Luke did not appreciate that. At least he thought things though. At least he  _ thought. _

“Ares is a fool. He never realised the true master he was serving. If I had time, Percy, I could explain but I’m afraid you won’t live that long.” The scorpion had crawled onto the bottom of Percy’s leg. It wouldn’t be long now. Soon it would be done. Justice would be served. He could almost taste the sweet flavour of vengeance on his tongue.  _ This is for Thalia. This is for Magnus. _

“Kronos. That’s who you serve.” Luke could sense his master in the cold air.  _ It will be done _ . 

“You should be more careful with names.” 

“Kronos got you to steal the master bolt and the helm. He spoke to you in your dreams.” 

Against his will, Luke’s eye twitched in annoyance. Could Percy not see all that he was refusing. Safety. Life.  _ Freedom.  _ “He spoke to you too, Percy. You should’ve listened.”

“He’s brainwashing you, Luke.” Luke wanted to roll his eyes. What did this  _ child _ know of being brainwashed?

“You’re wrong. He showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what my quest was two years ago, Percy? My father, Hermes, wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I’d done,  _ that _ was the best he could come up with.”

“That’s not an easy quest. Heracles did it.” He didn’t get it.

“Exactly, where’s the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay the past. My heart wasn’t in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this,” he pointed at his scar, emotions still waiting to erupt, held together by a single thread of self control. “And when i came back, all I got was pity. I wanted to pull Olympus down, stone by stone right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to steal something worthwhile, something no hero had ever had the courage to take. When we went on the Winter Solstice field trip, while the other campers were asleep, I sneaked into the throne room and took Zeus’ master bolt right from his chair. Hades’ helm of darkness too. You wouldn’t believe how easy it was. The Olympians are so arrogant, they would never believe someone would steal from them.” Luke thought of electric blue eyes and golden blond hair. “Besides, they deserve it, for all they’re done to me as well as so many half-bloods.”

“Thalia and Magnus wouldn’t have wanted you to-” Luke cut Percy off angrily. What did he know of Thalia or Magnus. The only person who might have the right, the authority to challenge him on what they wanted was Annabeth. But if anyone was brainwashed - it was her. 

“Don’t speak of them like you knew them! If they were alive, they would’ve sided with me, agreed with me, helped me even. it’s the gods’ fault they’re stuck like that. They couldn’t be even afforded the luxury of death. Targeted, murdered, just because they were born. I will curse Zeus forever for transforming Thalia but at least we know who to blame there. Apollo or whoever Magnus’ father was couldn’t afford his son, a child, a  _ fucking  _ child, a cabin to claim him or a family to care for him.”

Percy clenched his jaw. The scorpion was at his knee. Everything was ready. “Fight me at least, Luke, call off your servant, you’re not as much of a coward as that.” 

Luke chuckled darkly, “I’m not Ares, Percy, I’m not such a fool that I think being tactical or clever is cowardice. I will not fight you here Perseus Jackson but you  _ will _ die. The new world order is coming, it’s honestly a shame you won’t be there to see it.”

The final words spoken, Luke swung Backbiter in an arc, opening up the seams of reality and disappearing away, his duty done, his family avenged. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that. I'm on holiday at the moment, hence the late update but please leave kudos and a comment of you liked it
> 
> My tumblr is @mallorykeenwasmylesbianawakening if you want to check it out


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